Entertainment Book back in business

Entertainment Promotions, a Detroit-area company that publishes the popular Entertainment Coupon Book for 159 markets including the Capital Region and abruptly closed when it filed for bankruptcy in mid-March, is back in business. A bankruptcy trustees was approved to run the company until its expected sale later this month to an investment group that includes the son of the founders. The potential buyers are said to plan to continue to operate the company. See a press release will full details here.

The out-of-hand dismissal by the first few commenters here may demonstrate that the writers are either not interested in dining out or have no interest in expanding their circle of dining choices (which is, of course, the purpose of restaurateurs’ inclusion in the promotions. #4 Willis Pittman is correct in identifying a decline in the quality of Entertainment’s contents as a factor in decreased interest in the book. Used judiciously, Entertainment can still be a bargain, but getting that deal now requires some knowledge of its contents and, for casual users, real work.

And Maggie, we’re a classic example of your notion of expanding one’s restaurant choices. The Entertainment book helped us do that for many years, but pretty soon we’d been in just about every interesting place in the book and continued to want to try new places. So we quit buying the book.

sites like groupon, living social and amazon deals are what took the entertainment book down, they need to come up with a business model that is similar but with a broader range of local businesses. Always a great concept but you need the appeal of variety.

Years ago, when the number and breadth of included restaurants began to wane, some area restaurateurs were interviewed regarding their decision to discontinue their association with Entertainment. I recall that those interviewed stated that they felt pressured to offer larger promotions than those with which they could maintain quality and profitability. At that point the offerings began to include mostly the “usual (frequently of mediocre-quality) suspects” locally with a few hidden gems in out-of-the-way locales.

Unfortunately for foodies, the offerings include too many fast food outlets and chains and too few higher quality places or hidden gems. Does a buy one get one free coupon really play that much havoc with the profit margin? Now if you ski, golf and play laser tag, the book still has some deals 😉

I received a book for Christmas and tried to visit a Latham restaurant in January. As I walked in the door, there were two written signs on the front saying they would not accept Entertainment coupons so I turned around and left.

To provide some balance to all the negative nellies, I LOVE the Entertianment Book. I require 700+ lunches and dinners every year, and not all them need to be at a “hidden gem.” Sometimes, I like the Orchard, or El Mariachi, or Barcellona or Wolff’s. even if it’s not my first time there. I am really happy that the Entertainment Book will be back next year, and I would much rather receive one for Christmas than a box of candy or a bottle of wine. Thank you Table Hopping for the great news!

Eat, drink and be candid, with Times Union Senior Writer Steve Barnes

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